The Moment Explodes
by Pagetpagets
Summary: Every stupid, life-before-your-eyes cliche, Could I please go out some less expected way? *Based off of the song of the same name from "If/Then". I recommend listening to it first. **Character Death. Read at own risk.
1. Chapter 1

**The Moment Explodes**

_**A/N: Hello all, welcome to this new fic! This is going to be a bunch of oneshots all based on the song 'The Moment Explodes' from "If/Then", a new Broadway musical. Please listen to the song or look at the lyrics before reading, it may help your understanding of this fic.**_

_**Hope you enjoy! And please remember to check out some of my other works, as well as leave a review. Thanks!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

_**Chapter One.**_

It all happened so fast. At least that's what he was told. Emily, his Emily, was gone just like that. In one sudden moment, he was alone again. The only person that knew how to make him feel loved and whole, had left him.

Ever since that day, June 22nd, 2013, the news has been covering the accident, over and over again. He had seen the plane go down so many times, mostly replaying it over again in his head just before he fell asleep at night. It stayed with him for weeks now. He couldn't work, he couldn't eat, he couldn't even give Jack the love that he deserved. Once again, he felt broken.

Just three weeks ago he had gotten a call from his fiancée, saying that she would be returning home within the next week. He promised her that once her flight landed, he would take her to a nice restaurant where he would buy her an expensive dinner, and then the two of them would have the night to themselves, as Jack would be with Jessica.

Now he sat on his bed, rolling the diamond ring in between his index finger and thumb. He stared down at it, a tear trickling down his cheek and landing on his arm. Just like that, his Emily was gone. He swallowed thickly as he thought of that day. He had been waiting for her flight to come in, waiting for her call to come pick her up at the airport, waiting to hear her voice again.

The call came in around 9am on that 22nd day of June. About two hours earlier than expected. He nearly missed the call, trying to locate his phone. Catching it on the last ring, Aaron placed the iPhone to his ear, opening his mouth to speak but another voice cutting him off. It wasn't Emily's.

"Aaron Hotchner? We need you to come down to the airport. I'm sorry, sir." At the mention of the airport, Aaron immediately froze, his blood running cold. Why was he needed down at the airport? Why was the woman telling him she was sorry? Did something happen to Emily?

He cleared his throat and spoke, panic setting in. "Emily-" He choked out, unable to process any of the information that the woman was now telling him. All he heard was static mixed in with words here and there.

"Sir?" The woman sighed softly. The airport was a mess. People were screaming and crying, pacing back and forth, waiting, just waiting. "I'm sorry, sir. Flight 149 went down. Officials are still looking for survivors. We don't know anything else yet, but we would like you to come down in case we need you to make an ID." She was never taught this at school, never told how to handle death or how to help someone grieving. Hell, plane accidents were scarce. They hardly ever occurred.

Aaron managed to move from his place on the couch and he reached for the remote, turning on the news. Sure enough, the very first story was the plane crash, "Officials are working the scene, searching for any survivors after Flight 149, flying into Dulles International Airport, making its way all the way from London. The pilot, so far is in critical condition. So far, 206 of the 239 passengers are reported to have died in this terrible accident. Experts say that the engine had stopped and the plane dropped, spiraling down from 31,000 feet." Aaron swallowed hard as the image of the wreckage appeared on the television. Firetrucks swarmed around the large plane, men running in and out of the smoking heap of metal. Emily was on that plane. He could only pray that she wasn't one of the 206. He knew there wasn't much hope. Every ten minutes they seemed to find another passenger that hadn't survived.

He dialed her cellphone as he headed out the door, praying to any deity that would listen and perhaps grant his one wish. "Emily, please answer. Please." The ringing continued, going to voicemail after a while. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe, he only drove. He broke so many traffic laws, speeding and weaving in and out of cars, not giving a damn. His Emily.

He felt the velvet box in his pocket and let out a sob, his whole body shaking as he stopped the vehicle at a red light. He had the whole rest of the day planned. He would get down on his knees right there in the middle of the airport and would finally ask her to join his small family, to be the mother of his seven year old son. God, Jack was seven now. Where had the time gone? He shook his head, pressing down on the accelerator and surging the vehicle forward. This was supposed to be a good day. Not a somber one.

He furiously wiped away the tears in his eyes and pulled into the airport's parking lot where he was scheduled to meet Emily in a little less than two hours.

Except he wouldn't be meeting Emily at all. There would be no proposal, no dinner, no celebrations.

As soon as he rushed into the airport, he was thrown into chaos. It was as if a tornado had hit the place. Parents and children were sobbing in the corners, attendants ran around like mad dogs, not knowing WHAT to do, and police officials, fire fighters, and EMTs transported people on stretchers, away from the public's eye. That's when he saw it. That bit of dark ebony hair hanging off the stretcher and peeking out from the body bag. It was her.

How could she have left him? How had this happened? He hadn't even gotten a chance to tell her that she had become his best friend, that he loved her.

He shivered, freezing in that one spot as everything rushed on around him. His vision began to fade as the blood drained from his face. He felt hot. Glancing around wildly, he swallowed back the bile in his throat, trying to ignore the sudden stifling heat. The whole room began to spin and he lost his footing as he tried to take a step forward. He stumbled, losing his balance as everything went black completely.

_**A/N: I know, I know, I'm terrible. Please tell me how much you hate me in a review? Next is Emily's POV of the accident. Stick with me guys. Thanks for joining this story.**_

_**-Emily.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**The Moment Explodes**

_**A/N: Hola mis amigos. I know I haven't written in a week or two. Please remember to leave a review! Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. **_

_**Chapter Two.**_

"Attention, passengers. This is your pilot speaking. We seem to be hitting a bit of turbulence up ahead. Please fasten your seat belts now. Thank you." The seatbelt button above each passenger's head lit up, instructing them to sit down in their seats and buckle themselves in.

Pushing her hair from her face, Emily did as told and checked her watch. Just a few hours ago she had talked to Aaron, exchanging "I miss yous" and "I love yous". He had told her that he would be waiting for her at the airport, saying that he had a huge and exciting night planned out for them.

Somebody sneezed in the seat behind Emily. She looked behind her and saw a small child with a running nose staring up at her mother as she slept. The young brunette child poked her mother's arm, whining for a tissue. "Mommy, I need a tissue." She pouted, her mother not even stirring slightly as the girl poked and prodded her. The mother's snores only increased in volume.

"I have one, sweetie." Emily unbuckled her seatbelt, the plane having not taken on any turbulence yet, and reached underneath her seat for her purse. Just as she grabbed ahold of the bag, she was thrown forward into the seat ahead of her. The plane tipped slightly to the left side, all passengers leaning to the left with it. "Shit." She cursed quietly as the bag nearly spilled over. The older brunette dug through her purse and quickly found a travel pack of tissues, handing them to the young girl.

She smiled her thanks and accepted them graciously, the plane righting itself out again. The woman sitting beside Emily eyed her carefully, "You alright?" Emily touched her forehead, rolling her eyes. She would have a decent sized bump there later.

She nodded, forcing a weak smile. She was going home to see her boyfriend, her family. She was moving back home to be with them. No more running away and dodging feelings. Emily exhaled a soft breath and refastened her seat belt. She pulled a photo from her wallet that Aaron had sent her of him and Jack just a few weeks ago. Jack was growing up. He still had that childish innocence about him, but he was definitely getting older. He was growing into a handsome and strong boy, just like his father. She swore he looked more and more like his father in every picture Aaron sent her of him.

She felt eyes settle on her and glanced up from the photograph.

"Going home to your husband?" An elderly woman looked over at Emily and smiled warmly at the brunette woman. Quickly surveying the plane, Emily pointed to herself in question, wondering if she was who the question was directed at. The woman nodded. Emily guessed she had seen the photograph.

"Um, well," Emily shrugged a shoulder, "He actually is my boyfriend…" She chewed her lip and handed her the photo. The older woman nodded with interest, accepting the photo and studying it.

"So this boy… Is he yours?"

Emily shook her head, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "No, that's his son, Jack." The woman nodded again, glancing over at Emily.

"They're both very beautiful." She handed the photo back to her, "You remind me a bit of myself. Young, guarded, I can see it in your eyes." Emily stared at her in shock, "You two make a lovely couple, I'm sure. It's been worth the wait?" Emily nodded, dumbfounded. The older woman laughed softly and continued on, "Don't let him get away. You get off this plane, go right to him and tell him how much you love him and his son." Emily's smile widened, her cheeks blushing a soft scarlet.

"Thank you."

The woman nodded, a twinkle in her old eyes. Within minutes Emily was telling the story of how she was going home after a year away in London, to a large number of passengers nearby. She didn't get into many of the details or technicalities of it, but by the time she had got to the part about Aaron, most of the women were swooning. She chuckled softly, only to be pushed to the side as the large plane tilted again. Everyone gasped as the plane began to shake. It sounded as just one large intake of oxygen.

All of the people who were sleeping before were now wide awake, their eyes wide with fear as they gripped the armrests. Emily's nails dug into hers and she swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat.

"This is your pilot again, all passengers please put on the oxygen masks. We seem to be having minor issues." Emily glanced around at the other passengers, watching with wide eyes as parents reached up and pulled down the masks for their children, husbands holding their spouses' hands, and mother's telling their loved ones that it was going to be alright.

She didn't have anybody to hold hands with.

She didn't have anybody to tell her it was going to be alright.

She had no one.

Glancing across the aisle at the older woman, she noticed her eyes were closed. She didn't bother reaching for the oxygen mask, in case there were others that needed them. The woman cracked open an eyelid and shrugged, the plane rocking from side to side as screams were emitted from passengers. "I'm sorry."

Emily shook her head, her eyes filling with tears, "No." She swallowed hard, "No, you need to take the mask-" She handed her one and the woman smiled sadly. The plane began to tilt forward, the hum of the engine quieting.

"Honey, what's the use?" The woman reached out and tapped Emily's hand. "I'm old, I'm going to die soon anyway." She shrugged and pushed the mask back to Emily. "You're young, you have a family to return to." She nodded her head and smiled down at her. The tears began to trek down Emily's cheeks as the plane lurched forward and then seemed to just…

stop.

Everything slowed down for a few seconds, moments, minutes. It felt like hours that they were just sitting there, floating in the air.

And then the plane began to fall from the sky, picking up speed as it went down, down, and down, spiraling and twirling as if in a gymnastics competition.

Emily heard sobbing from all around her. It took her a few moments to realize that she was one of them. So many things she hadn't gotten to say to Aaron, things she hadn't gotten to do in her short life.

She hadn't even spoken to her mother in years, and now she never would get to tell her how much she really loved her and appreciated her. She would never get to have her own child, never get to see Jack grow up the way she had thought she would. And then there was Aaron…

How could this life that had just begun, end so quickly? It was as if she were being robbed of it, and yet by it at the same time. How was this fair? How was any of it fair? She glanced around the panic-stricken plane and watched as her life seemed to flash before her eyes. She never knew what that cliché meant until now.

Sure, she had seen death when Doyle had stabbed her, but this was different. She hadn't been with Aaron then. She hadn't known what love was until now. Love was where you felt safe. Love was a midnight talk and a morning kiss. Love was late night dinners from your favorite takeout restaurant. Love was Aaron.

The engine had stopped.

The plane had dropped.

And the moment had exploded into thoughts of all the things left undone and flashes of the lives that had just begun.

_**A/N: Well, that was hard to write. So… chapter three will be up soon. Please remember to leave a review. **_


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